Is my ReadyNAS an R4, R5 or R6?

Since Netgear isn’t really known for an easy to understand naming scheme in their product lines some users have difficulty to correctly identify the ReadyNAS product they’re using and match it to one of the three lines of operating systems (formerly called firmwares) currently in use. To give you some guidance, here are some general tips on how to correctly identify your ReadyNAS product line to get the right add-ons for your device.

R4:

This is the oldest line and can be identified by it’s yellow/blue on white look of the web interface with menus to the left of the screen:

To determine whether your R4-ReadyNAS is based on Sparc or Intel CPU technology, simply check the firmware revision:

R4 Sparc:

For Sparc based products the firmware revision is 4.1.x, so 4.1.9, 4.1.10 and so on.

R4 Intel:

For Intel based products the firmware revision is 4.2.x, so 4.2.20, 4.2.21 and so on.

R5:

This is more or less an intermediate firmware, released while Netgear already was on the way to R6. It can be identified easily by it’s black web interface:

There are only two ReadyNAS models in this line, the ReadyNAS Duo v2 and the ReadyNAS NV+ v2. Both are based on ARM CPUs and both are named very unfortunate because they are easily mistaken for their older, Sparc-based siblings, the ReadyNAS Duo and the ReadyNAS NV+. So make sure to check the color of the web interface which really is the best indicator to distinguish between the older R4 and the newer R5 models.

If still unsure, check the firmware revision. If it is 5.x.y, then you have an R5 (ARM) ReadyNAS. If it is 4.x.y your NAS is from the R4 line.

R6:

This is the operating system of the current ReadyNAS line and has a mostly white web interface with some colors sprayed in:
To identify whether you have an ARM or an Intel(x86) based R6 ReadyNAS, you can consult the product number:

R6 ARM:

ARM based ReadyNAS systems of the R6 line have a model number of the format RN1xx or RN2xxx like RN102, RN104, …, RN2120

R6 Intel(x86):

Intel based ReadyNAS systems of the R6 line have a model number of the format RN3xx(x), RN4xxx, RN5xx or RN7xx.